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Mass spectrometric characterization of metal triflates and triflimides (Lewis superacid catalysts) by electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry
Author(s) -
Monfardini Ilaria,
Massi Lionel,
Tremel Pascale,
Hauville Agnès,
Olivero Sandra,
Duñach Elisabet,
Gal JeanFrançois
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.4680
Subject(s) - chemistry , trifluoromethanesulfonate , lewis acids and bases , triphenylphosphine oxide , electrospray ionization , nitromethane , catalysis , mass spectrometry , inorganic chemistry , superacid , tandem mass spectrometry , protonation , mass spectrum , electrospray , ion , polymer chemistry , triphenylphosphine , organic chemistry , chromatography
Trifluoromethylsulfonate (triflate) and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (triflimide) salts, well‐known Lewis acid catalysts, present some difficulty in their characterization. By using nitromethane as the solvent, useful electrospray mass spectra in positive and negative ion mode were obtained for salts of metals in oxidation states +2 and +3. In positive mode, addition of a strong Lewis base (triphenylphosphine oxide, TPPO), capable of displacing a triflate (TfO − ) or a triflimide (Tf 2 N − ) anion, is necessary for obtaining useful spectra. Under these conditions of solvent and added ligand, the most abundant ions were [M 2+ (A − )(TPPO) 2 ] + or [M 3+ (A − ) 2 (TPPO) 2 ] + with A − = TfO − or Tf 2 N − . The MS/MS spectra of these diagnostic ions provide additional analytical information. The breakdown curves, in the form of % dissociated as a function of the ion activation energy, offer a mean for investigating the bonding in these ions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.